1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a passive seat belt system to automatically bind and release persons on a vehicle in response to closing and opening of a door, and more particularly to a controller for a passive belt system having a forcible release device for an emergency lock mechanism.
2. Related Background Art
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,033 assigned to General Motors Corp. and issued on Aug. 19, 1980, a passive seat belt device has an emergency lock mechanism (for example, a retractor) for blocking feeding of a seat belt in an emergency case such as collision and a device for forcibly releasing the lock mechanism (for example, a spool release).
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,410,061 assigned to Toyota Automobile Industries Co., Ltd. and issued on Oct. 18, 1983 and Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 10669/1984 filed by Takada Co., Ltd. and published on Feb. 26, 1983, when the spool release is actuated to unlock the retractor, the unlocked state of the retractor is indicated to the person on the vehicle by a warning lamp or buzzer. Even so, if the spool release is actuated to unlock the retractor, the person on the vehicle is bound if the seat belt is at a fasten end. Consequently, he may still misperceive the status of the retractor.